Six
years
ago,
I
wrote
an
article,
“How
I
Used
My
Law
Degree
To
Get
Out
Of
Law,”
in
the
HuffPost.
I
was
a
contributor
to
the
platform
and
at
the
very
beginning
of
my
full-time
journey
from
lawyer
to
entrepreneur.
That
article
set
the
wheels
in
motion
for
me
to
openly
share
my
story
with
the
world
—
that
yes,
you
can
leave
law
and
find
success
in
doing
something
else
that
you
love.
Since
then,
I’ve
responded
to
hundreds
of
messages
from
dissatisfied
or
frustrated
lawyers
who
want
to
do
something
else
with
their
legal
career
besides
traditional
practice
at
a
law
firm.
I
know
that
feeling
—
all
too
well
—
in
addition
to
the
sentiments
that
my
parents
reiterated
to
me,
“Choose
a
job
you
will
love,
and
you
will
never
have
to
work
a
day
in
your
life.”
That
specific
Confucius
quote
sat
in
a
frame
and
hung
on
the
wall
in
my
dad’s
office
for
more
than
15
years,
and
it
became
the
impetus
for
me
to
seek
out
my
own
career
happiness
and
fulfillment.
To
him,
it
meant
that
while
every
day
wasn’t
perfect,
doing
work
should
bring
you
energy
and
joy.
If
you’ve
reached
a
career
crossroads,
whether
you’re
at
the
beginning,
middle,
or
tail
end,
ask
yourself:
is
it
the
environment
or
the
work
that’s
truly
the
root
of
the
issue?
For
example,
you
might
not
fit
in
with
the
culture
of
Biglaw,
but
you
might
thrive
in
an
in-house
environment.
You
might
enjoy
the
work
of
complex
M&A
transactions
but
feel
more
at
ease
if
it’s
not
contingent
on
the
billable
hour
or
high-volume
work.
It
takes
a
special
type
of
personality
to
thrive
in
a
law
firm
environment,
especially
in
a
highly
competitive
and
cutthroat
one
such
as
Biglaw.
I
knew
early
on
it
wasn’t
for
me
based
on
my
own
negative
experiences.
And,
while
I
excelled
at
smaller
and
midsized
firms
tackling
big
motions
and
hearings,
the
billable
hour
debilitated
me.
Firms
said
they
didn’t
have
strict
billable
hours,
but
the
reality
was
quite
different:
if
you
didn’t
bill
more
than
200
hours
per
month,
you
were
questioned.
Vacations
were
also
nonexistent
and
frowned
upon.
A
sick
day
just
meant
working
from
home
and
still
being
expected
to
bill
12-plus
hours
a
day.
I
was
simply
a
cog
in
the
wheel
permeating
an
unsustainable
way
of
life.
It
wasn’t
until
I
gained
a
glimpse
of
what
in-house
counsel
work
entailed
that
I
truly
thrived
and
felt
the
career
love,
along
with
collaboration,
leadership,
and
a
human-first
culture
that
I
yearned
to
encounter.
For
the
first
time
in
my
legal
career,
I
took
a
vacation
without
guilt
and
without
question.
I
brainstormed
with
colleagues,
and
we
worked
in
a
copacetic
fashion
rather
being
gaslighted,
disrespected,
and
undermined.
I
worked
closely
with
other
leaders
in
the
business
and
became
exposed
to
various
personalities
that
worked
for
the
common
good
of
the
business.
I
share
this
because
if
law
firm
life
isn’t
for
you,
consider
exploring
other
legal
environments
that
might
offer
you
something
different
before
you
decide
to
exit.
This
means
networking
with
lawyers
who
are
corporate
counsels
or
in
other
nontraditional
legal
roles
such
as
contracts
managers,
compliance
officers,
or
even
legal
and
management
consultants.
Find
people
who
are
where
you
want
to
be
(or
may
want
to
be)
now,
five
years
from
now,
and
10
years
from
now.
They
will
have
different
insights
at
different
steps
in
the
journey.
In
doing
so,
you
can
explore
alternative
legal
careers
as
compared
to
traditional
practice.
Remember,
you
have
wide
access
to
networking
with
these
professionals
on
LinkedIn.
Take
advantage
of
it.
Additionally,
there
will
be
common
themes
you
find
within
your
legal
career
that
speak
to
your
strengths
and
the
parts
of
your
work
you
enjoy
the
most.
For
example,
in
high
school,
I
spent
my
weekends
competing
at
local,
state,
and
national
debate
tournaments.
In
college,
I
did
pro
bono
writing
and
tutoring.
In
law
school,
I
took
electives
that
were
focused
on
writing
and
analysis.
In
my
legal
career,
I
was
always
the
designated
brief
writer
and
deeply
enjoyed
the
process
of
researching
and
writing
the
dispositive
and
discovery
motions,
and
then
arguing
them
in
court.
Each
of
these
examples
point
back
to
my
strengths
and
passion
for
analysis,
writing,
and
public
speaking
—
all
of
which
are
present
in
my
current
work.
Writing
has
been
my
forte
for
as
long
as
I
can
remember.
I
expanded
that
skill
set
in
a
different
arena:
professional
writing
and
coaching.
This
has
required
me
to
continue
to
advance
and
deepen
that
skill
set
through
my
own
professional
development
and
training
(such
as
getting
certifications
in
resume
writing,
career
coaching,
and
personal
branding
to
elevate
my
skills).
The
other
side
to
this
is
that
running
my
own
successful
writing
and
coaching
business
isn’t
easy
or
glamorous
—
I
work
an
unbelievable
number
of
hours
to
consult
with
potential
clients,
coach
current
clients,
and
write
their
resumes,
bios,
and
LinkedIn
profiles.
These
aspects
of
running
a
business
were
pieces
I
had
to
acclimate
to
and
were
the
deciding
factors
for
why
I
remained
a
solopreneur
instead
of
scaling
up
to
run
a
business
with
a
team
(the
latter
is
more
common
in
my
industry).
If
you’re
thinking
of
going
solo
or
opening
your
own
business,
talk
to
someone
who’s
done
it
and
has
been
successful
at
it,
financially
and
professionally,
for
seven
or
more
years.
Find
out
the
good,
the
bad,
and
the
ugly.
Have
a
question
about
finding
happiness
or
joy
in
your
legal
career?
Feel
free
to
connect
with
me
on
LinkedIn.
Wendi
Weiner
is
an attorney,
career
expert,
and
founder
of The
Writing
Guru,
an
award-winning
executive
resume
writing
services
company.
Wendi creates
powerful
career
and
personal
brands
for
attorneys,
executives,
and
C-suite/Board
leaders
for
their
job
search
and
digital
footprint. She
also
writes
for
major
publications
about
alternative
careers
for
lawyers, personal
branding,
LinkedIn
storytelling,
career
strategy,
and
the
job
search
process. You
can
reach
her
by
email
at wendi@writingguru.net,
connect
with
her
on LinkedIn,
and
follow
her
on
Twitter @thewritingguru.